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Andrew Ujifusa

@andrewujifusa.bsky.social
2.6K followers 337 following 525 posts

I'm an editor at Chalkbeat, a national nonprofit news organization and a division of Civic News Company. I previously worked at Education Week's Politics K-12 vertical, and also at Maryland and Mississippi newspapers. I taught at two high schools in Japan.

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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 21/08/2026
"In New York City, students and others have criticized a similar digital hall pass concept due to concerns about over-surveillance. And some worry the new technology will be more distracting than helpful." www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...
chalkbeat.org
Digital hall passes and student tracking will soon be available at all Philly schools
Virtual hall pass tools track students who aren’t in classrooms and can prevent certain students from being in hallways simultaneously. But the system, which the district hopes will prevent fights, ha...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 30/07/2026
"His salary ... felt stagnant and mediocre. He coached basketball and football, so his days often stretched from early morning to late evening. And 'teacher appreciation week' began to feel borderline demeaning: You can wear jeans all week! There's free pizza!" www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/30/t...
chalkbeat.org
A ‘lost generation’ of teachers left the classroom. Schools are still dealing with the consequences.
Veteran teachers left, principals cycled through too, and high-poverty schools likely faced the greatest strain. Here’s what years of churn did to classrooms.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
“This is the first time we encountered a situation like this,” he wrote. “Are there specific statutes/policies noting public funds for schools that potentially have a religious curriculum?” www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
chalkbeat.org
State officials knew “public Christian school” would be religious before it opened. They let it move forward.
State education leaders and lawyers knew Riverstone Academy would be religious before it opened. They gave it a public school code and state funding.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Want to put up a motivational poster in this school district? You'll have to pick from one of 32 pre-approved phrases, or else there's a 4-step process that might include a lawyer's eyes. The reason? It's probably not hard to guess. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/07/08/s... via @lilyalta.bsky.social
chalkbeat.org
The most heated school debate isn't curriculum. It's what's hanging on the wall.
Even a motivational poster could require legal review under one Michigan school district's new policy.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
"By supporting this request, we will allow the next generation of Knicks fans to experience this extraordinary moment." www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...
chalkbeat.org
Knicks ticker-tape parade sparks backlash from parents over Regents exam conflict
New York’s celebration of the Knicks’ historic NBA championship win is causing outrage among some parents and students because it falls during the school day and Regents exams.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 13/06/2026
“Some teams had male managers, trainers, or mascots — not athletes.” www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
chalkbeat.org
61 boys the Trump administration found on girls’ sports rosters? District says they weren’t athletes
Jeffco Public Schools said some girls’ teams “had male managers, trainers, or mascots — not athletes.”
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
“This is money that, instead of going to the federal government, could come to our state.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/11/t... from @ericameltzer.bsky.social
chalkbeat.org
McMahon said states would shape tax credit scholarship. Treasury said no.
Many Democratic governors have been waiting to see the rules before opting into a major federal school choice expansion. Will they like what they see?
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
An NYC student was ashamed of his antisemitic thoughts. This fellowship helped him resist prejudice: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...
chalkbeat.org
Fighting ignorance with empathy: Inside a NYC program teaching students to combat hate
Roughly 40% of NYC students report witnessing bullying based on race, ethnicity, religion, or immigration status. This program is working to change that.
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Reposted by Andrew Ujifusa
Matt Barnum @mattbarnum.bsky.social · 05/06/2026
New- Will artificial intelligence reduce demand for formal education? I take a look at the historical interplay between technology, the economy and education and how that helps us understand what might come next. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/06/04/g...
chalkbeat.org
For students, generative AI raises a new question: Will more education still pay off?
Schools have long raced to prepare students for jobs shaped by technology. AI may change the rules by reaching into work once reserved for the well-educated.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 02/06/2026
"First public Christian school" in Colorado gives up the ghost: www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
chalkbeat.org
‘Colorado’s first public Christian school’ closes permanently nine months after launch
Riverstone Academy closed permanently in late May because of changes to state law that make the school ineligible for public education funding.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 26/05/2026
“If a school district says we’re going to single-member districts to elect minority representatives, that would violate the constitution. That’s over. That’s done.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/26/s...
chalkbeat.org
The recent Voting Rights Act ruling’s potential to reshape school boards is being overlooked
The Voting Rights Act opened doors for Black and Hispanic school board members. Are they closing?
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
Dubbed “Screen Break,” the week-long pilot program for Manhattan’s District 6, spanning Washington Heights and Inwood, also encourages families to ditch screens and come together as a community: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...
chalkbeat.org
This upper Manhattan mom convinced 38 schools to ditch devices for a week-long ‘screen break’
Fed up with excessive screen time, one upper Manhattan mom took action. Over 10,000 students in District 6 will swap devices for outdoor play, read-alouds, and improv classes.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 22/05/2026
"The new law is an unprecedented effort to seize local control of Tennessee’s largest public school district." www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/20...
chalkbeat.org
Tennessee governor signs Memphis schools takeover into law
The new law is an unprecedented effort to seize local control of the state’s largest public school district through a nine-person oversight board appointed by Tennessee’s top three Republicans, includ...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
“It’s just a bunch of digital busy work. ... And he doesn’t like it. He gets really stressed out about it.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/19/i...
chalkbeat.org
One of the biggest fights in education right now revolves around this school software
If you talk to a parent about technology in the classroom, one brand of software comes up again and again — and the feedback is typically critical.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
"Including all students in mainstream classrooms is backed by a body of research that has found students with disabilities benefit socially and cognitively when they learn in a general education environment. But some experts contest those findings." www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...
chalkbeat.org
Philly is moving more special education students to general education classes. Some teachers are worried.
Some researchers say there isn’t conclusive evidence that students with disabilities learn better in general education classrooms. But Philly district leaders say they want to reduce the number of stu...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 21/05/2026
"In math, the highest- and lowest-need school systems have seen the most progress. In reading, scores in middle-income districts fell the most." www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/21/t...
chalkbeat.org
The pandemic didn’t start America’s learning slide. So what did? These are Tom Kane’s theories.
The Harvard researcher points to the rise of social media and the decline of test-based accountability. Neither hypothesis has been proven, however.
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Reposted by Andrew Ujifusa
Matt Barnum @mattbarnum.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
New– There was recently a massive wave of attention on a report from the University of California San Diego, noting a sharp increase in the number of students who required remedial math. I talked to one of the students at the center of the controversy. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/05/05/u...
chalkbeat.org
She got A’s and B’s in high school math. Then came college.
Cecilia Lopez Alvarado passed high school math with A’s and B’s. But in college, she effectively had to start over. Here’s why students like her are at the center of a debate in American education.
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Reposted by Andrew Ujifusa
Erica Meltzer @ericameltzer.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Among the popular "industry credentials" in Philly schools: a 2-hour online ladder safety course that most employers who ask people to climb ladders would be required to offer anyway. Good work by @rebeccaredelmeier.bsky.social on what's going wrong in high school. www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...
chalkbeat.org
‘You don’t have to learn anything to graduate’: Dubious credentials boost Pennsylvania’s graduation rate
Philadelphia teachers say they’re incentivized to push students to earn low-value credentials — like a 2-hour online ladder-safety course — by state and district officials who want to see graduation rates continue to climb.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 10/04/2026
Three years ago, as Khan Academy founder Sal Khan rolled out an AI-powered tutoring chatbot, he predicted a revolution in learning. So far, the revolution hasn’t happened, he acknowledges. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/04/09/s... via @mattbarnum.bsky.social
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 27/03/2026
"The chain of events in Virginia shows the compromises school districts were willing to make to keep federal money flowing." Exclusive reporting from @mattbarnum.bsky.social and @lilyalta.bsky.social: www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/27/t...
chalkbeat.org
College credit in high school? Trump administration pushes new limits for undocumented students
Chalkbeat reporting found that nearly every Virginia school district agreed to block undocumented students from accessing federally funded career-technical education programs. The leader of a superint...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
“When we’re competing with screens, we’re going to lose.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/25/s...
chalkbeat.org
This school district gave teachers one week to get rid of screens. Will their pivot pay off?
Chromebooks and iPads were getting in the way of learning, according to leaders at this rural school. So, they banned them.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 19/03/2026
"Just 38.9% of third graders were proficient on the English language arts portion of the Michigan Student Test of Educational Progress last year. It was the lowest performance of third graders in the exam’s 11-year history." www.chalkbeat.org/detroit/2026...
chalkbeat.org
‘A tragedy we are responsible for’: Why Michigan lawmakers are trying to fix K-12 literacy challenges
Michigan has had a student literacy problem for years. Can current efforts change that?
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 17/03/2026
"There’s no smoking-gun data showing that ed-tech is at the root of, or even contributing to, recent learning declines. But Horvath’s case should still give schools and educators some pause." - by @mattbarnum.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/17/j...
chalkbeat.org
A viral anti-screen argument is shaking schools. The evidence is more complicated.
A neuroscientist’s warning about ed-tech is spreading fast with parents and lawmakers. But the research is more nuanced and up for debate.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Former NYC schools chancellor Meisha Porter among finalists to lead Chicago Public Schools: www.chalkbeat.org/chicago/2026...
chalkbeat.org
Who are the three finalists for next Chicago Public Schools CEO?
After not making it to the finalist round back in the fall, interim CEO Macquline King is on a list of three finalists for the district’s top job. A former East Baton Rouge superintendent and former c...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
Manhattan proposal for NYC’s first AI-focused public high school sparks pushback: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...
chalkbeat.org
NYC is proposing a public high school with an AI focus. Parents are pushing back.
Manhattan High School superintendent with ties to Google wants to open Next Generation Technology High School. The school promises to “expand pathways connected to high-growth technology careers.”
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 13/03/2026
“If NAEP is the nation’s report card, then questions about private school achievement will become the dog that ate the homework. It will be a source of evasions and spin.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/13/l...
chalkbeat.org
Very few private school students take NAEP. Here’s why it matters and what could change that.
As more students leave the public school system, a lack of NAEP data about private school students could become “the dog that ate the homework.”
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 12/03/2026
“We are all aware that the school district is facing a financial crisis.” www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...
chalkbeat.org
What a trip: Philly mayor proposes new rideshare tax to give schools funding increase
Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker says she’s aware that the school district is in a financial crisis. But her proposed funding boost would do little to fill the district’s $300 million budget deficit...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 11/03/2026
ICE detained a Memphis student on his way to a school soccer game. What will happen next is unclear. www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/20...
chalkbeat.org
Memphis student held in ICE detention since arrest en route to school soccer game
The 18-year-old’s lawyer says his case is a direct result of immigration crackdowns by the Memphis Safe Task Force and Trump-era changes to federal policy. He’s been waiting for trial at the West Tenn...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
How a Philadelphia high school is fighting AI slop and internet lies: www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...
chalkbeat.org
These Philly teens are battling AI slop and political lies in their school hallways
As midterm elections near, Kensington Health Science Academy seniors are ramping up their fight against online disinformation — for their classmates and their families.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
Homework in American classrooms: Is it worth it? www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/09/c...
chalkbeat.org
How much homework is too much or too little? Chalkbeat wants to hear from teachers, parents, and students.
Are assignments helping kids learn — or just adding stress? Take our short survey and share what you’re seeing in classrooms and at home.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 09/03/2026
“A narrow reading of the ruling could be that schools need to respond honestly to parent questions, but don’t have an obligation “to get on the phone and say, ‘Hey, did you know that Jane is going by John now?’” Black said. “That would be kind of absurd actually.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/07/s...
chalkbeat.org
Does a Supreme Court gender identity ruling end ‘secrecy regimes’ or take away ‘pieces of independence’?
The conservative majority’s opinion in Mirabelli v. Bonta favors parental rights. But it leaves schools a lot of tricky questions about the right course of action when it comes to students and gender ...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 04/03/2026
"The promise was deregulation. The reality has been paperwork, guidance, and reminders." www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/03/t...
chalkbeat.org
Is federal influence over schools really shrinking?
Trump says he wants Washington out of education. School leaders say investigations into trans rights and race-related practices are pulling D.C. in deeper.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
“God, I wish we could get taken over by literally anybody else.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/03/03/n...
chalkbeat.org
Red states are taking control of school districts: Are state takeovers having a moment?
Officials have used poor academic achievement and anti-ICE protests to threaten takeovers of schools. The tactic has a new political tone, particularly in Texas, where the state has announced four sch...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
New York City education officials have reversed plans to close an Upper West Side middle school after a mom’s racist comment during a public meeting thrust the school into the national spotlight: www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...
chalkbeat.org
After racist comment goes viral, NYC halts closure of Upper West Side middle school
Racist comments caught on a hot mic thrust a small Upper West Side middle school into the spotlight — and prompted city officials to reverse their plans to close it.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
“They’ve let so many people go. I’m worried we’ve done tremendous damage to our ability to recruit people into government work.” - @carajackson.bsky.social www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/27/e...
chalkbeat.org
DOGE smashed federal education research. Here’s how a consultant told the Education Department to fix it.
A new report finds that too often the Institute of Education Sciences has produced redundant or low-priority work. It also defends the federal role in education research.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
"New York City K-12 students with perfect attendance are on track this year to be in school for 1,102 hours. That’s about 20 fewer days than the national average." www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2026...
chalkbeat.org
NYC students to spend about 20 fewer days in school than national peers. Learning likely suffers.
It adds up: On top of the snow day and several professional development days keeping kids home from school, NYC’s shorter school day means kids in the five boroughs are in class less than national cou...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
"He denied that the district played favorites." www.chalkbeat.org/philadelphia...
chalkbeat.org
Philadelphia officials just removed these 2 schools from their proposed school closure list
Philly district officials announced they no longer plan to close a middle and a high school. The move follows criticism from City Council members.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
The ongoing fallout from the controversial launch of a school called Colorado’s "first public Christian school": www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
chalkbeat.org
School board clash: Fallout from Colorado’s ‘first public Christian school’ sparks board vacancy dispute
Pueblo 70 school board members clashed at Tuesday’s meeting over the controversial appointment of a new member who works for the group that operates Riverstone Academy.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
When a relatively new school cellphone ban muscles up: www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2026...
chalkbeat.org
A bell-to-bell school cellphone ban is about to become law in Indiana. Here’s what it could look like.
Schools would have to decide whether to ask students to leave their phones and smartwatches at home, or provide them with a place to store the devices at school.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 26/02/2026
LAUSD launched “Ed,” an AI-powered personal assistant for students. The district dropped its relationship with AllHere, the company that developed Ed. The Los Angeles Times reports that a source with knowledge of the matter said the investigation relates to AllHere. www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/25/f...
chalkbeat.org
What we know so far about FBI raids on the L.A. schools superintendent’s home and offices
Alberto Carvalho has led the Los Angeles school district since 2022 and has been a strong defender of undocumented students.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 22/02/2026
Next to note cards describing how one person’s mother had to report for removal a week after giving birth ... were the words “WE HAVE LEARNED NOTHING” and articles and photos about “Alligator Alcatraz.” www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/19/s... by @ericameltzer.bsky.social
chalkbeat.org
Trump wants historic sites to glorify America. Students help make sure this site tells the truth.
“I think our country is strong enough to understand the history of our nation in its totality, and I think that anything less than that makes us weak,” wrote one Amache visitor.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
Eighty-four years ago today, FDR signed an executive order that led to the incarceration of tens of thousands of people of Japanese descent. Here's how a unique group of high schoolers acts as a caretaker of that history where an internment camp once stood: www.chalkbeat.org/2026/02/19/s...
chalkbeat.org
Trump wants historic sites to glorify America. Students help make sure this site tells the truth.
“I think our country is strong enough to understand the history of our nation in its totality, and I think that anything less than that makes us weak,” wrote one Amache visitor.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 21/12/2025
“A good number of people really wanted to keep at least their particular school segregated.” www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
“You get what you can when you can.” www.chalkbeat.org/indiana/2025...
chalkbeat.org
How a fractured Indy school landscape reached the verge of a huge shakeup
An Indianapolis task force has recommended what amounts to unified control over district-run schools and charters in the city. That plan is rooted in decades of history involving desegregation efforts...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
Mamdani did not focus intently on schools, but he made one big education promise: to govern the city’s public schools with more input from New Yorkers and reduce his own power over the system. www.chalkbeat.org/newyork/2025...
chalkbeat.org
18 big ideas New Yorkers want Mamdani to consider for NYC schools (Part 1)
What big ideas should Zohran Mamdani consider to improve NYC schools? Here’s what families, experts, students, and educators told us.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
"I am zealous, but it’s not because I am a 'convert.' I’m zealous because I feel I have to make up for the part I played in encouraging bad ideas." cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org/p/what-diane...
cbnewsletters.chalkbeat.org
What Diane Ravitch has learned in her decades on both sides of the school reform fights
A Q&A with the education historian turned critic of testing and charter schools.
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Reposted by Andrew Ujifusa
Erica Meltzer @ericameltzer.bsky.social · 12/12/2025
Education groups are jockeying to shape the federal tax-credit scholarship through the rule-making process. But making this scheme, designed to create a voucher-like benefit, work for public school students could be tricky. www.chalkbeat.org/2025/12/09/f...
chalkbeat.org
Could Trump-backed federal tax-credit scholarships benefit public school students too?
Some public education advocates say the rulesmaking process is the time to lean in and help shape the final form of a school choice program that was designed for private school students.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
The Supreme Court vacated a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit upholding New York’s vaccine mandate, which does not allow for religious exemptions, and told the lower court to reconsider it in light of the Mahmoud decision: www.chalkbeat.org/2025/12/11/s...
chalkbeat.org
Could a Supreme Court decision on inclusive storybooks change school vaccine laws?
New York got rid of religious exemptions in the face of disease outbreaks — then Amish parents sued. Now the Supreme Court wants the 2nd Circuit to take another look at the vaccine mandate case in lig...
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
“You know what? You’re getting your wish come true, because I was planning on resigning anyway. I’m done.” www.chalkbeat.org/colorado/202...
chalkbeat.org
School board member resigns in wake of ‘public Christian school’ controversy
Pueblo 70 school board member Anne Ochs abruptly announced her resignation Tuesday evening after a district parent raised concerns about Ochs’ role in helping a "public Christian school" open.
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Andrew Ujifusa @andrewujifusa.bsky.social · 09/12/2025
“When you receive a punch in the martial arts, you can either try to block it or leverage its power to throw the person over your shoulder. I think we have an opportunity to think not only about how we might need to block, but how we might need to leverage.” www.chalkbeat.org/2025/12/09/f...
chalkbeat.org
Could Trump-backed federal tax-credit scholarships benefit public school students too?
Some public education advocates say the rulesmaking process is the time to lean in and help shape the final form of a school choice program that was designed for private school students.
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